I have been on statins going on 20 years.
My cholesterol is as follows
Total: 134
Triglicerides: 119
LDL: 63
HDL: 47
VLDL: 24
NON-HDL cholesterol: 87
And I have ZERO issues taking statins. You and your physicians just need to find the one that works for you to protect YOU. Just like the saying YMMV… what may work for me may or may not work for you.
My father was on Lipitor, it did not work for me… my mum was on Lipitor, again it did not work for me. I take Crestor.
I have Familiar hypercholesterolemia aka a genetic high cholesterol condition from BOTH sides… had high cholesterol even doing a vegan diet… no longer vegan, on Crestor and my numbers are beautiful.
I had an overall cholesterol of 240+ about 12 years ago. I started a statin then, and my number dropped more than 100 points. I do have fatigue and muscle pain, but I am 79 years old, with osteoarthritis. The fatigue and muscle pain may be due to my age and osteo. There is no way of knowing the cause of those complications. I am going to stick with my statin.
Hi Richard. It sounds like a good choice for you. So glad it’s working well for you. It is always hard to figure out what is causing aches and pains… I guess if it worsens significantly you might test out to see if it’s the statin, but your improved levels are great. Be well.
Hi. Thanks for your reply and suggestions. Sounds like you found the right statin for you. That’s great. And the family history can really be a bear. Good for you for finding the right way to manage it. Be well.
I have been taking statin and ace inhibitors for more than 20 years with limited side effects, but keep in mind that my normal friends in their 50s feel new aches and pains every morning. Diabetics have at least twice the normal cardiac risk, it is worthwhile and these drugs have been on the market for many years without seeing any adverse effects. If you have been diabetic for 20 years or more you should be monitoring your thyroid as this can be cause of fatigue and often diabetes auto immune system decreases thyroid gland functions.
Hi Katherine
Our Diabetes Guidelines 2018 state very strongly that in a case like yours, with Diabetes 1 over 15 years and strong family history of cardiovascular disease, that you should be on a statin as it will protect you from heart disease. As a Diabetes Educator, I have not heard much about side effects from statins but there are many options of statins that your doctor can choose from so if one does not work for you, then you can try something else. In other words, there are options.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Linda Richman, P,Dt., CDE
Certified Diabetes Educator
OK< I had to stop taking ANY kind of statin 10 years ago. I started having pain and problems using my hands, and when the statin was changed I got exactly the same response.
Then I found out that there is a large number of studies that show low cholesterol shortens life, NOT lengthens or improves it. This is based on many studies which are ignored by the medical “authorities” since it doesn’t prove what they want to, so they ignore it.
Also the basis for controlling cholesterol is based on fraudulent “research”, which was done by Ancel Keys PhD, who was NOT any kind of MD, he studied Zoology and Nutrition. His research used “evidence” from about 10% of the people he “studied”, but the records weren’t kept, so he substituted results of an earlier study, which was NOT related to the study that resulted in his “conclusions”.
That’s not research, that’s clearly fraud. Also, modern day studies (see above) that look at FACTS, rather than baseless theories, have found that the healthiest cholesterol levels are found in the group around 266 total cholesterol.
Also, cholesterol is NOT created from fats we eat, our bodies make about 90% of what is in our blood FOR OUR BODIES to use keeping healthy. What creates cholesterol is over consumption of CARBS, which dieticians have told us is what we NEED to eat (also a baseless accusation).
So tell me, why do dieticians and doctors keep telling us to take statins (which have over 200 side effects, some deadly) to cut cholesterol? Seems they do it to keep us sick so that we make more appointments and pay outrageous amounts for them, to the drug company profits.
Looks like a lot of good info here. At the risk of repeating some, here’s my take: Take the statin. I’m 54 and T1 for 24 years. I’ve been on a statin for at least 10. My diet is similar to yours. My doc has repeatedly told me that my risk for a heart attack is the same as some who’s already had one. That was all the info I needed.
I, too, am unable to tolerate statins. I finally agreed to Simvistatin in 2008. I remained on it for over a year with worsening, over that period of time, of the muscle pain & weakening in my arms. I decided to quit, on my own, and the symptoms were gone within a few weeks. I tried prevastatin, very recently, and the problems occurred almost immediately. Had to quit. Dr. had me try a sample of Repatha. It worked incredibly well, but is VERY expensive and would have required extensive medical documentation to get my insurance to approve. I take the Red Rice Yeast, but don’t really get much in the way of LDL reduction. May HDL and and triglycerides are very GOOD levels, as well as the ratios. What to do? Not sure. I’m very sensitive to many meds. I also live with another very painful autoimmune disorder, CRPS, so don’t need to add to those issues. Ha! Ha! I wish you the very best in you search or trials with meds to control or maintain healthy statin levels. We are all unique.
My Endo put me on Lipitor (1/2 a pill per day) as a preventative measure about a year ago stating it was recommended for T1 patients. I was kind of oblivious what Lipitor was and why it was needed, but took them anyway because Doctor’s know what they’re doing, right?
When I saw this thread, my first reaction was “what’s a statin?” which Google answered pretty quickly. So I managed to connect the dots to realize I’m actually already taking statins on a daily basis (Lipitor = Atorvastatin)! But what really blew me away were the comments on leg pains which I’ve also been suffering with and couldn’t figure out why. So now I’m curious to see if the pain is connected with me taking the drug. I’ll definitely be taking a closer look at the pros and cons now…
Hi everyone. Why would we be put on statins as preventative measures? Just to prevent high cholesterol? My pharmacist just pushed them on me! “Because you have diabetes…” blah blah blah.
My Endo says we will check those numbers, too.
Anyone here on it as a preventative?
Interesting Cathy @HopeFloats2020 , that a pharmacist is prescribing medications for you - has that pharmacist even seen your “Lipid Panel” lab report? Let your physician read that report, discuss it with you, and make a decision about statins. That said …,
I have been taking statin medication, various names, for several years - began when mt Total cholesterol reach within 50 mg/dl of what for most people would be considered “moderately elevated” and treated with diet rather than medication. Some thinking is, diabetes is a vascular condition and that build-up on the interior walls of blood vessels MAY impede insulin from doing its work. About 15+ years ago, Endocrinology Society published a paper stating that the target cholesterol goal for an adult PWD should be 100 mg/dl Total.
That is just something to consider - based on your total body and lifestyle - something you and your doctor only know; I suspect that your doctor will closely examine ALL your lab results - two or three pages worth - to make decisions for you. A single line on a lab report can not usually be read in isolation.
I’m with Dennis. I did a doubletake when I saw your pharmacist made the recommendation. Every time I pick up a prescription I’m asked if I have any questions for the pharmacist - and I’ve been getting the same meds at the same pharmacy for years. I’ve found them very helpful if I do have questions, including ones about OTC meds and interactions; but they need to stay in their lane and it sounds like yours drifted out of theirs. Thankfully no harm done.
I take Atorvastatin (Lipitor) for years and my cholesterol counts are better with than without. No side effects to speak of. Some people can manage their cholesterol with lifestyle. Having had diabetes for years my bloodwork has tracked cholesterol and other levels; I have a good baseline in place so i can see along with my doctor if things start to change and if intervention is needed - medical or otherwise. One way to think about adding in a medication: do test results show a problem in place that needs to be addressed urgently (are your levels dangerously high?). If so, you may want or even need to take something at least until you see if lifestyle changes hero. If your baseline is good and you’re keeping good health practices you might keep an eye on your results over time and consider adding a med in later. Mind you, I am not a medical professional and this is just a way of considering what to do. If course discuss with your doctor - they have your records and can advise accordingly.
Can someone kindly point out which clinical studies looked only at T1D patients with normal or nearly-normal A1c results? I’m aware of the ADA guidelines, but after reviewing them I could not find the differentiation between T2D and T1D…maybe I missed it?
My impression is that we (T1Ds) get lumped in with T2Ds despite the significant differences in age onset, cause, treatment, and time-in-range results from today’s tools. Many with T2D are not using CGM, most do not take insulin, very few use insulin pumps, so it seems like results would vary, including for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Has JDRF sponsored research that looked only at CVD in the T1D population? What are Joslin’s CVD results for their Medalist population? (Even though Joslin’s results are somewhat limited because they closed the study to new participants about 2010.)
Welcome back @brighter1085293 , you are so correct when you say that all “diabetics” are lumped together in many of the report publications, and you are more than right that there should be separation. Recent examples are in the “scare tactics” with novel corona virus mortality reporting; confusing “autoimmune system” with “compromised immune system” - two entirely different conditions.
Another factor which appears to be omitted is lumping together those who seriously monitor their diabetes and others who neglect prudent selfcare. I’m thinking that you are amongst the “former” and not the “latter” group - I’ve had diabetes since I was a kid and not very active in my 80s. What I have seen personally, and learned from medical professionals is that people with T1D who pay attention to diabetes while living full and active lives have risk-factors similar to the general population - only moderately higher. Just yesterday during my annual physical, the doctor mentioned that I’m in better shape than younger “healthy” patients. One CVD condition which is unique to long-term PwD is cardiac “autonomic neuropathy” - a severe narrowing of arteries. Eight years ago I underwent proactive/preventive cardio intervention when a surgeon inserted two child-size stents LAD because tests showed that major artery to be significantly narrowed - for years, my total cholesterol has been in the 105 to 115 range according to periodic lab tests, so that wasn’t the blame.
I don’t mean to scare you, but some years ago I did review a study that appeared to indicate that female long-term T1D have a higher CVD risk-factor than do male. INMHO, the bottom line is for us to stay active and lead a healthy lifestyle. Manage diabetes to fit lifestyle rather than the other way around. One of the best gauges for management is for us to use glucose Standard Deviation - easily available for CGM users - and try to keep this number as low as possible. What this tells us is how volitle our BGL has been. It is well known that bouncing BGL appears to cause more damage that a more level even if the “level BGL” is slightly higher.
Dennis, thanks for your response and encouragement! Also thanks to you, I updated my profile. By way of background, I’m a Joslin Medalist, but not in the study group since my 50-year milestone came after they closed the research group to new participants; just marked 56 years since T1D diagnosis.
Yes, COVID mortality statistics were distorted by generalizations. I had COVID and credit the vaccines and CGM (Dexcom) for making it mild overall. Indeed, the insulin resistance revealed by CGM indicated the infection before symptoms, an early-warning value of CGM about which more should be written. (Interferon signals an infection, interferon causes insulin resistance.) I’m male and agree that active lifestyle and healthy diet are vital. Ditto re standard deviation!
Next diabetes innovation I’m looking forward to seeing is individualized metabolic rate (MR) calculation based on wearable tech to be incorporated into pump algorithms; we all know that exercise affects MR that in turn affects insulin efficiency. Tidepool has all this data, but isn’t (yet) using it, so I’m hoping their work with Insulet helps move this potential forward. When that occurs, the “artificial” pancreas will be much more valuable.
I just got home from an overdue visit with my cardiologist. She said she wanted to order tests for my cholesterol but I told her they were included in labs my endo had ordered late last year. She stepped out of the office to see if she could pull them and while she was out I remembered I could access them on my phone - so I read the numbers - LDL-69, HDL-62 - both within the “reference interval” on the page. So I was feeling pretty darned good about myself - until I scrolled down to the very bottom where there was a handy dandy chart with recommendations for the doctor based on the results and a patient risk category. They even recommended the risk category to use - mine read Current available clinical information suggests the patient’s risk is at least HIGH. Your patient appears to have one CHD risk equivalent (diabetes). One additional major risk factor is present (age over 55).
Burst my bubble, I must say - but when she came back and looked at my results she couldn’t have been happier. I don’t know that she even saw the recommendation at the bottom but we’re continuing things as is. I hadn’t considered the likelihood that we Type 1s may be lumped in with Type 2s when these recommendations are made. That makes me feel even more positive - thank you!
By way of background, I’m a Joslin Medalist, but not in the study group since my 50-year milestone came after they closed the research group to new participants; just marked 56 years since T1D diagnosis.